Sens. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, introduced the Reach Every Mother and Child Act to strengthen U.S. government efforts to end preventable deaths of mothers, newborns and young children in developing nations around the world.

About 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth daily, and the risk of a woman dying in childbirth is 47 times higher in Africa than in the U.S. In addition, more than 16,000 children under five years old will die each day of treatable conditions.

“For too many women and families, pregnancy and childbirth are risky, life-threatening conditions that are filled with stress rather than joy and expectation,” Coons said "The Reach Act directs USAID to deliver a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes cost-effective, proven interventions to prevent these tragic deaths. This bipartisan bill will bring relief to mothers who can safely carry, deliver, and raise their newborns knowing that the care they need is now available."

“Although progress has been made in improving the health of mothers and children, it is a tragedy that so many preventable deaths still occur,” Collins said. “By supporting simple, proven and cost-effective interventions, our bipartisan legislation will improve the health and well-being of mothers and children in developing countries and bring us closer to achieving the goal of ending preventable maternal and child deaths worldwide.”

The U.S. has been a leader in reaching mothers and children in developing countries with life-saving interventions, including skilled birth attendants, basic resuscitation options for newborns, vaccinations and other cost-effective, evidence-based interventions.

The bill would provide the focus and tools necessary to accelerate progress toward ending preventable maternal and child deaths by:

— Requiring the administration to implement a strategy to achieve this goal by scaling up the most-effective evidence-based interventions.

— Permitting USAID flexibility to use “pay-for-success” financing models where foreign aid is only expended for results rather than inputs.

— Establishing a permanent Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator at USAID who would be focused on implementing the strategy and verify that the most effective interventions are scaled up in target countries.